SCU Engineering vs USC, UCD, Cal Poly, LMU

allemanau
Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:16:46 +0000

@pixeljig:

I actually do! All of us engineers stick together at SCU, and more often than not, I’m in the design lab working alongside my comp eng friends. Engineering at SCU in general is very well-respected in the area, and the only reason it isn’t known further afield is primarily due, I think, to it’s graduate programs (they’re small and don’t turn out masses of research like Berkeley or Stanford, so US News ignores us for the most part). The university knows that as an institution of higher education in the Silicon Valley, they need their grads to be able to compete with monster comp eng and comp sci programs like San Jose State, UC Berkeley, and Stanford. No worries – they rise to the task. Your son applied EA, so it sounds like he has genuine interest in the program here. Everything they say about class sizes, undergrad research, focus on undergraduate students, is 100% true. If that’s what your son wants, then he’s looking at the right place!

@collegebound2729:

Other faults I can find so far (and again, here my experience is limited at best) is that there are some hoops to jump through. I took what must have been the dullest course ever this quarter, required for all engineers, worth a measly credit and at the expense of three hours a week. I mean, this class was a major bummer. No one liked it. But really, there’ll be hoops anywhere you go. Just keep your eyes on the prize, and in the end, it’ll be worth it. Additionally, you’ll find that the student body varies widely as far as learning ability goes. Some take a while, some take no time at all, and all of this varies by subject. Ultimately, the pace at which the class moves is determined by the students who are the slowest to learn. I think this will taper off, though, as upper division classes approach.

As far as Bay Area alumni, those that came in were, in fact, my only sample. However, I’m from Portland, and I can’t walk a block in SCU swag without being stopped by somebody asking me if I go to Santa Clara, what I’m studying, etc. There’s a huge alumni network, not just in the Bay Area, but up and down the coast in the major cities, too. Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA, San Diego, and Denver all have huge draws here. I wouldn’t worry too much about getting a job, especially as an engineer graduating from SCU.

And finally, I think you will find that you’re challenged here in a far more practical way than anywhere else. Again, SJSU and UC Berkeley have a lot of students to manage. Many of them get lost in the shuffle or won’t get the chance to apply their classroom learning because of the competition and sheer enormity of those schools. The challenge there may simply be to beat the grading curve. Santa Clara (and admittedly Stanford) has a unique vibe, thanks chiefly to the resources the school has vs. the number of students to spread those resources amongst. Professors invest a personal stake in making sure you have the tools to succeed, and the school of engineering gives every opportunity to apply those tools through competitions, research, and help finding internships. If you’re interested in further challenging yourself, may I suggest that you join the honors program? Not only does it provide some swanky benefits (early class registration is probably the best of them), but the professors will find ways to stretch you, even in introductory courses. The workload will not overwhelm, but you’ll find yourself far more intellectually engaged than in high school. If anything, I spend less time on homework now than I did last year (mostly AP load, though).

@luvmyson:

Absolutely! Even up here in Portland, I meet tons of SCU graduates by total accident. There’s a huge draw from all major cities on the West Coast (and Denver), some occasional East Coasters, and lots of international students. I will also say, though this might just be speculation, most SCU grads I’ve met, in the Silicon Valley and otherwise, are very well off monetarily. Whether this is because of the school’s network capacity or because private school tends to attract people who have money initially, I couldn’t say for sure. Clearly the majority will stay in Silicon Valley after graduation, but to give you an idea of an average sampling, my residence hall is about 60/40 Californian/Non-Californian. The thing they do best here is bend over backwards to make sure you’re successful, both in your time at school as well as post-graduation.

Hope my replies were specific enough! :)